Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nomthetheleli Mene at the Raymond Mhlaba Local Municipality Council Chambers in Alice on June 9 during the release of the Crime Statistics for the Fourth Quarter of the last financial year (2022/2023).
The areas in the Eastern Cape which have ranked in the top three highest crime rate as revealed in the Crime Statistics for the Fourth Quarter of the last financial year (2022/2023) includes, Lusikisiki in the first position, Mthatha second and Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality in third.
According to police spokesperson, Warrant Officer Majola Nkohli, during the last quarter, the SAPS conducted six major operations, namely, Vhuthu Hawe, Operation Sikhona, Bilateral/Trilateral Cross Border, High Density, Provincial Interventions and Majola Intervention, of which all of them had several good successes, and some are continuing to break the spine of crime syndicates and operatives.
He said during the release of the Crime Statistics for the Fourth Quarter of the last financial year (2022/2023) which was officiated by Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Transport and Community Safety, Xolile Nqatha at the Raymond Mhlaba Local Municipality Council Chambers in Alice on June 9, revealed that seven police stations in the Eastern Cape appeared on the top 30 list of police stations with the highest crime rate.
“There is a concern in the OR Tambo District, where two police stations from these districts appear on the national top 30 police stations with the highest crime rate which includes, Lusikisiki at number three and Mthatha at number five. The two stations are occupying the top two positions in the provincial list respectively,” said Nkohli.
He further said Nelson Mandela Bay District was leading the provincial list of top 30 stations with high rate of murder cases which includes New Brighton, Bethelsdorp and Kwazakhele.
Nkohli said there was a generic decrease in various categories of sexual offences in the province, with a notable decrease of 19.9% on sexual assault cases, and rape showing a decline by 12.7%.
However, for the same period, he said members from the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences unit managed to arrest at least 940 suspects for rape.
Nkohli said police remain concerned about the unrelenting incidents of murder, attempted murder, trio crimes and robbery of Cash in Transit, and stock theft.
He said OR Tambo District has three police stations which are leading the national top 30 police stations in stock theft cases, and that is Qumbu, Mthatha and Bityi.
“These categories can be likened to an aching tooth within our communities and show elements of stubbornness, despite efforts and operational strategies,” said Nkohli.
He said several positive results were recorded during the period, as a total of 18 840 suspects were arrested for various crime categories ranging from contact to second hand goods related incidents.
“This simply means on average more than 6 000 people were arrested in a month, and with over 200 arrested daily. Police are unperturbed in their efforts to fight crime in general,” said Nkohli.
He further said a total of 403 firearms were confiscated among those six were automatic rifles with assortment of ammunition, and there was a positive increase in the illegal firearms category where confiscation increased by 57.7%. There was also a positive increase on crimes on drugs, with an increase of 5.8%.
Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nomthetheleli Mene said, “In as much as some of the crimes may seem to be puncturing our hopes in terms of reflections in figures, the reality on the ground is that our detectives and intelligence have turned a new page. In recent weeks we have recovered a significant number of firearms in various districts of the Eastern Cape. There is a need for us and pertinent stakeholders to redouble our efforts and intensify on programmes that will see us winning the fight against family feuds and hit murders which are motivated by the desire to benefit from insurance companies.”
Nqatha said, “Our research has revealed that in areas where there is an existence of community policing forums, crime has decreased significantly. In this financial year, the Department of Community Safety will continue to establish more Community Policing Forums.”
“The most problematic districts in the Eastern Cape are Nelson Mandela Bay, Buffalo City and OR Tambo districts. These districts contribute the most to the following crimes in the Eastern Cape, murder, attempted murder, assault, robbery, and sexual offences.”
A full report on the Fourth Quarter Crime Statistics for the Eastern Cape is available on the SAPS website www.saps.gov.za/services/crimestats.php.